Intertribal canoe race: A challenge in Chinook

Oregon State Building, Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, Seattle, WA (the fairgrounds became the University of Washington campus) (image credit: Wikipedia)

Here’s an oddity & a curiosity.

It’s fictional Chinuk Wawa — or facilitated communication — in that the “speaker”, a Siberian Yup’ik named Ogkok from the Chukchi Peninsula, isn’t choosing the words, and the text is obviously written with the help of a published dictionary.

It’s genuine in that contemporary publications show Frank J. Smith of Oregon was someone with real exposure to Salem-Grand Ronde-Siletz area Chinook Jargon and a mighty keen eye for documenting it. Also, his use of hyack as a verb meaning ‘hurry’, towards the end, is genuinely an English-influenced usage that we know from other speakers of similar background.

Sandwiched into the following, I’ll add interpretive information that reveals the differences between the intended meaning and what actually emerges.

This points to Smith’s surprising lack of self-confidence in relying on bookish words (marked by ##, and I think taken from J.K. Gill’s dictionary) that he couldn’t have been familiar with from actual Oregon use.

A CHALLENGE IN CHINOOK

Letter of Eskimo Translated Into the Jargon Predicts Unparalleled Enjoyment.

Ogkok, head man of the Eskimo village, who has accepted the challenge of the Quinaults to engage in canoe races, whale hunts and harpooning contests during the Alaska-Yukon-Pacifie exposition, has caused a letter to be written in the Chinook jargon. Ogkok does not speak Chinook, so the services of Frank J. Smith, superintendent of the Oregon building, were sought to get the letter into the words known by all of the Washington Indians. The letter indicates that there will be “much strong talk” at the tournament and much mirth, or as the jargon has it “hi-yu hee-hee.” Ogkok’s letter follows:

“Kon-away hyas salt chuck pee tenas chuck.kánawi háyás-sáltsəqw pi tənəs-tsə́qwall big-saltwater and little-water ‘(To) all the saltwater and river’ All salt water and river

Siwash tillicum pee hul-oi-mee tillicum.sáwásh tílixam pi x̣lúyma tílixam.Indian people and other people. ‘Indian people and other people.’ Indian people and strange tribes.

Nesika tillicum elip kloshe kopa kon-away ickta.nsáyka tílixam íləp-łúsh kʰapa kánawi-íkta.our people more-good in all-thing. ‘our people are the best at everything.’ We people best, in all things.